Q&A with Srijita "Dia" Ghosh

2017 i2E Love's Cup 2nd Place Winner

Picture: Srijita "Dia" Gosh is pictured with Dr. Stacy Bolin at the i2e 2017 Love's Cup competition.

Srijita Ghosh, who goes by “Dia” for short, recently took second overall in the 2017 i2E Love’s Cup pitch competition in the Small Business Division.  We recently sat down with Dia to learn more about her and her product.

AJF: How did you come to Ada?  What brought you to ECU?

D: That’s an interesting story, [I came] all the way from India to Ada.  I was actually on the ECU women’s tennis team, so I came here as a student athlete.  I was always in the business school, from the very beginning.  So that’s how I came to Ada.

AJF: When you first came to Ada, did you think ‘this is really different?’  Was there culture shock?

D: Well, I have travelled a lot, so it wasn’t really the culture shock.  However, I did have a different impression, because when I came to the U.S. before in 2010, I was in Florida.  So that was really different.  But, I’ve travelled a lot.  I’ve lived quite a while in Spain.  I’ve lived in the U.S. before, so it wasn’t that much [of a shock] for me, but definitely it was not what I expected.

AJF: When do you graduate?

D: In December.  I’m a senior, I just turned a senior this [Spring] Semester. 

AJF: And what do you plan to do when you graduate?

D: My major is in business management, and I’m doing three certificates—human resource, banking, and entrepreneurship.  So my area is really broad, but I want to work for a year or so after I graduate in the U.S.  For internationals we have this thing called the OPT where we get a working visa for a year, and then I plan to pursue my MBA.

AJF: Do you think you’re going to stay in Ada [for the MBA program] or are you looking at other programs?

D: We just had the program open up [at ECU], and it’s really good.  It’s definitely on my list.  However, I always had a dream since I was really young to do my MBA at Stanford, and I know that is a big, big, big dream.  That is definitely on my list. 

AJF: Let’s talk about the product.  So you said you had the idea after some of your friends…

D: So what happened was last semester, I was taking a class with Dr. Bolin.  It was called “Introduction to Entrepreneurship.”  She just told us, ‘come up with a problem, think of a solution, and that’s how you get your product.’  And just somehow, the first thing was this thing came to my head.  I didn’t know the name at that time, but immediately I thought of something to help patients who have panic attacks.  I’ve witnessed my own friends [having panic attacks].  So, that was the problem I wanted to solve.  And also I suffer from low levels of anxiety, and I was not even aware of that.  I was interviewing our school psychology professor, and she’s known me since my freshman semester.  And I was asking a question, just like you’re asking me questions right now.  I was interviewing her for my project and all of a sudden, she turned the tables and she started asking me questions.  And she pointed out how I came up with this idea, because I myself suffer from anxiety and my brain subconsciously came up with the solution.  So that was pretty cool.

AJF: I know what your product does, but if you could say it again: What exactly is StoPanic?

StoPanic is a device which can be bought over the counter at pharmacies or online. It resembles a hearing aid that is designed to help people to overcome panic attacks by playing calming music when it detects certain physiological changes.

AJF: Very cool, and you’re still developing this technology, correct?

D: Yes.  Basically, the technology is already out there, but we’re putting it into one thing.  And then we’re just bringing them together.

AJF: And so there’s still going to be some R&D, it sounds like?

D: Definitely, yes.

AJF: So is that the next stage where you want to take this business?

D: Yes, actually finals are coming up, but Dr. Bolin and I are restarting the process to get my product patented.  Hopefully with the funds that I won from the competition, that will be enough, because patents are expensive.  So that’s the first step.  And then I’m going to start and move to the development process so we can actually do some product testing. 

AJF: So have you attracted any investment interest?

D: I’m still looking.  I’ve had so many people interested in my idea, honestly that day when I did my pitch at the awards in OKC [at the i2E Love’s Cup], and also at the ECU School of Business Banquet, I did [my pitch] there again.  And I had like 20 people come up to me, and they were all in good business positions. And they talked to me about my product and how much they were interested.  But, I haven’t got an official offer yet, and I’m really looking out.

AJF: You said you might work for a year.  Is this something you hope to continue developing while you’re working somewhere?

D: Definitely, if I have the opportunity.  Like I said, my dream is to go to Stanford and you need to have something to get in there, because I can’t afford to go there so I need to be on a scholarship.  I have a 4.0, but that’s not enough to get in there, and I have to have something.  And I believe StoPanic is my ticket into Stanford, and not just that.  I have a big vision for it, and I want to go ahead and work with StoPanic.

AJF: Do you see yourself as hoping to continue to develop businesses and products and ideas after StoPanic? 

D: I’ve heard of the term “Serial Entrepreneur,” and I see that in myself.  My parents are both into business, and my mom is just about to start her own business.  So these things, I’ve just seen them from a very young age, just progress and growth.  So I definitely see myself there.  And once maybe I’ve developed and worked with StoPanic, I hope that I can use my success with StoPanic to fund additional startups and continue to build my portfolio.

AJF: We want to help develop local entrepreneurs and we see it as a really crucial thing that we have people that develop new technology and think about new things in Ada.  What are two or three things that Ada could be doing to help you as an entrepreneur in Ada?  What would you want to see here?

D: Thanks to Dr. Bolin, I’ve connected to a lot of individuals in the community that’s given me great feedback.  And that’s one the things that I’ve received.  Something more would probably be real life experience.  Studying textbooks is very different from real life experience.  So maybe conferences and workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs like us.  And also, I think it’s very important to start early, so not just seniors and juniors, but even sophomores and freshmen.  So they all need to get the idea that they are capable.  Because we mostly don’t take them seriously, to be very honest, but we should because that’s where they’re going and we need to work with them.

AJF: Another thing we’ve talking about is creating spaces to support people who are interested in entrepreneurship.  We’ve talked about coworking spaces.  We’ve talked about design labs.  If there is a space like that in Ada, where you could work on your business part-time would that be a good thing?

D: Yes.  Honestly, I agree with that.  Like in our school, we had a 3d printer in the education building, and I didn’t even know about it.  Dr. Bolin told me, and then [for] my prototype, my friend Garrett Stacey who was helping me with the design and everything, we spoke to the 3d printer people.  So if you can have all those things in one place then I can meet someone else who has a great idea.  It’s always great minds that get together and talk, and I think it would be a great idea.

Also, entrepreneurship is of course very business oriented, but I feel like students from other schools, like maybe, I don’t know, psychology or theater, I think they would be interested as well.  They won’t think it’s just a business thing, because entrepreneurship really is not.  You can come up with a product as a non-business student and you can have a team of business people to help you with the business side of things.  Like with the example of Miranda [McNabb].  She’s a theater major, and she has such a great mind.  She previously won this [i2E Governor’s Cup Pitch Competition] award.  Just using her example, I think we can open it up more. 

AJF: Since you’re from India, what could Ada do to attract foreign-born entrepreneurs to a place like Ada? 

D: Honestly, I think Ada is a very welcoming and warm town, and I really appreciate that.  We have a large number of international students in ECU.  And actually, I’m the right person to ask, because I’m the president of the International Student Club at ECU [laughing], so I can kind of speak on behalf of everyone.  That is something that is really good.

What more that can be done is, if you can take interest in international issues, maybe a project or a service project or even a business kind of project that has an international aspect to it, that will definitely create more interest for us to participate and also feel like we are cared for.  That’s something we do in ECU Rotaract a lot, twin clubs with an international Rotaract, so we work together which is benefiting the community in Ada as well as far, far away, like in India.

I’m very passionate about service.  I believe in service towards the community, so I always look for opportunities or ways to combine service.  Like for example, StoPanic is a device where I want to make money off it, but it’s helping, it’s for a cause, it’s for mental health.  That’s something that’s dear to me. 

AJF: When you talk to business students here, do you get the sense that the ability to do some kind of social good is important to them?

D: I think this generation is actually automatically getting there, like CSR is just so big these days.  So I think it’s already developing, and whenever our professors teach us, they should emphasize on it more, so we [can] just learn it’s something we need and should do